Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Children of Virtue and Vengeance, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power and Systems of Oppression
Cycles of Violence
Tradition and History
Love vs. Duty
Summary
Analysis
Denial grips Amari as she looks at the monarchy’s message and the corpses. She and the elders discover Inan and Nehanda’s escape route. Dakarai summons a vision of the rest of the Iyika, chained in the palace cellars. Amari feels as though Saran’s words, “Strike, Amari,” are taunting her. The villagers’ deaths don’t mean anything; the Iyika lost. Tzain sprints toward Zélie and Amari is relieved that Zélie is alive. Amari goes cold when Zélie turns on her and sends shadows to choke her, but as the shadows reach Amari, Zélie collapses and convulses. Kâmarū carries Zélie away and Na’imah shouts to lock up Amari. Kenyon binds Amari’s hands and Tzain turns away. Amari knows she’ll never feel Tzain’s love again.
In addition to killing the innocent villagers, Amari has also showed her friends and allies that they can’t trust her to do the right thing and protect the innocent—which makes her a poor choice to be queen. In this sense, Amari gives up any hope of ruling here, since she’s just shown her potential future subjects and herself that she’s not able to make the decisions she’d need to as the ruler of Orïsha. This also shows that being so cruel is lonely, something that Amari likely doesn’t want.
Themes
